This application is a nonprovisional application which claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/081,092, filed on 16 Jul. 2008, by Pamela Day, which application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and compositions for making food products for benefiting health. Specifically, the present invention relates to methods and compositions for making poi and/or preserving poi and poi-based food products.
2. Description of the Related Art
Taro is an ancient food and was considered the staff of life by the Hawaiian people. For centuries, taro (Colocasia esculenta) has been a nutritious staple food for Hawaiians and many other Polynesian peoples throughout the Pacific Rim. For years, Hawaiian's lived primarily on poi (taro mixed with water, mashed to a thick paste-like consistency and fermented), sweet potatoes, fish, seaweed, coconut, green vegetables and fruit. Their diet contained no grains or animal milk.
Cooked taro corm that is blended, mixed with water, and fermented is called “poi”. The making of poi is indigenous to Hawaii and is the only place in the world where this ancient practice of food preparation is still found as a mainstream cultural and spiritual experience. Poi is not only considered a significant food but is used for medicinal purposes. Taro is considered the most sacred of all foods, as the ancestry of the Hawaiians is traced back to the taro plant and is thought of as an intimate family member. The use of poi as a staple is believed to have led Captain James Cook and other early western visitors to Hawaii to describe native Hawaiians as being an exceptionally healthy people, characterized by splendid physique and good teeth. Scientific studies have substantiated this observation. Hawaiians consider poi the most sacred of all foods and, through ancient lore, trace their ancestry back to the taro plant which is thought of as an intimate family member.
In Hawaiian culture and around the world, poi can be used as an excellent substitute for dairy, soy, grain and gluten products. The digestibility of taro starch has been estimated to be 98.8 percent and is far superior over other starchy foods. Poi may be successfully consumed by people with food allergies, food sensitivities, autism, celiac disease and various other health conditions that require a hypoallergenic, easily digestible food source. Poi is so digestible that it has commonly been used as an infant food as well as food for premature infants.
Studies have shown that poi is a hypoallergenic, naturally fermented, energy dense, carbohydrate staple that contains heat and acid resistant lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Despite having an acidic pH, which enhances food safety, poi and taro are considered alkaline foods because the alkaline-forming elements (Na, K, Ca, Mg) that are present exceed the acid-forming elements (S, P, Cl). Thus, poi acts as an alkalinizing food in the body rather than an acidifying food. This characteristic helps explain why poi is regarded as a food that can prevent dental caries and why it is highly digestible, and suggests its use in offsetting the tendency toward acidity in advanced cancer patients. Indeed, poi appears to have several properties significant to the decreased risk of carcinogenesis. Poi may be a promising probiotic and/or prebiotic, naturally fermented food.
Foods made with highly allergenic dairy, soy and grain ingredients are widely available to the public. Foods formulated with low-allergenic ingredients, containing hypoallergenic poi and viable poi cultures are non-existent and these could provide a much needed, nutritious and valuable alternatives for those with special dietary needs, especially the high-risk populations of children and the elderly. Additionally, poi and poi-based products may also be more suitable for minority populations than yogurt due to a higher incidence of lactase deficiency among minorities.
Also in comparison, very few food staples exist anywhere in the world that can be considered hypoallergenic, which are rich in calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, a good source of B vitamins, contain vitamins A and C, minerals, and a small measure of high quality, easily digestible protein. Kalo, or Taro, as it is more commonly known, is not only nutritious, but is considered to be a beneficial carbohydrate food that provides a high fiber, slow-release energy food source.
However, poi is the least stable in its natural state. Traditionally prepared poi has a shelf life of a few days and ferments quickly. One of the greatest challenges to the commercialization of poi and poi-based products is shelf life. Generally poi has a shelf life of three to five days.
Specific requirements for a precise and consistent acid/alkaline balance, microbial control methods and stabilization of poi (to ensure a uniform standard of taste, texture and product safety) are imperative in order to solve manufacturing, distribution and storage challenges. In order to develop a global business model around poi as the main ingredient, poi must be stabilized at some point between farm and finished product. Of the following options: frozen taro corms, frozen cooked taro, frozen poi, and dehydrated poi, nutrient retentive dehydration have been identified as the most nutritious and cost effective. Poi that has been dehydrated properly becomes stable. Shipping to co-packers is cost effective since approximately 98% of the water has been removed. Dehydrated poi can then be stored safely and securely for long periods at room temperature until needed in the final manufacturing process.
Besides an extremely short shelf life of traditionally prepared poi, there is also the potential for inconsistent characteristics and high probability for product failure due to growth of undesirable and dangerous organisms. Accordingly, dehydrated poi does exist but it generally does not contain live poi compounds or substantial beneficial nutrient content due to heat and processing degradation of inferior dehydration and processing methods.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method and composition for making food products that solves one or more of the problems herein described or that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art after becoming familiar with this specification. For these reasons the invention includes and discloses a process and methodologies that include controlled fermentation, inoculation of specific beneficial bacterial cultures and nutrient retentive dehydration as a means to stabilize the active components within a highly perishable food.